The Dark One's pet (PART 2)
by zoevdv
Summary: The continued adventures of Melody, the Dark One's apprentice. Regina has just cast the first Dark Curse and everybody finds themselves in Storybrooke. You can follow the story without having read PART 1 but you will miss out on a great adventure ;) I tried to stay true to the source material. I mean no disrespect and all credit goes to the writers (whose lines I sometimes used).
1. Chapter 1

The curse hits everyone where it hurts the most. Imagine being ripped from your home world, imagine the horror you might feel in that one terrifying moment. Then imagine the bliss of forgetting all that. It's everyone's story when they arrive in Storybrooke.

Every day there is the same. Mr Gold runs his pawnshop with an iron fist. If you need something, Mr Gold will find it for you. His apprentice is a young girl named Melody. She keeps his shop clean and deals with many small issues.

On a particularly gloomy day Gold walks on the streets of Storybrooke. His assistant Melody follows him around like a shadow. Together they walk on, all the way to Granny's Diner. People literally cross the street to make sure they don't cross paths with the notorious Mr Gold.

Gold enters the diner first. There's a somebody already there. It's a woman with gorgeous blond hair and a bad ass leather jacket. _"Swan. Emma Swan."_ she tells Granny.

As he enters, Gold smiles and says _"What a lovely name."_

Melody can barely contain her smile but somehow she keeps herself together. Before her stands the actual child of Snow White and Prince Charming and she's utterly clueless. The future Savior turns around and replies with a slightly unnerved _"Thanks."_

Emma studies Gold for a moment, clearly unsure what to make of this encounter. Melody walks up to the till as the old lady gets the cash out. With an expression of nerves mixed with disgust she quickly hands the wad of cash to Melody.

 _"It's all here."_ she says defensively as Melody walks back to Mr Gold.

He doesn't even glance at the money as he responds _"Yes, yes, of course it is, dear. Thank you."_ He looks back at Emma and says _"Enjoy your stay, Emma."_

Melody nods at Emma quickly and they both leave the shop. Gold smiles to himself and sniggers. _"Regina won't know what hit her."_ Then he winks at Melody. _"Our predicament has nearly ended, pet."_


	2. Chapter 2

Melody is working in the shop. Gold has been working on his magic lately and he isn't very focussed. Melody knows it's about his son and doesn't blame him at all. If he can get that memory potion working, he'll be able to cross the town line to go and find his son.

As the hours pass, she works hard to clean up the shop. She even sits herself down to polish some of the silver spoons that arrived earlier that day. The polishing liquid stinks, but it's a joy to see the spoons shine with the care Melody gives them. It's like they get a second chance at life.

The bell chimes joyfully. Melody looks up to see Regina enter the shop. She's immediately on edge. You can never tell what Regina will do. Will she be your friend or enemy, only she knows.

 _"Hello Madame Mayor."_ Melody greets her.

Regina looks disgusted with the store, as always. She approaches Melody quickly.

 _"Your master is out, isn't he?"_ she asks.

Melody nods slightly, still very much on edge. She studies Regina intently.

 _"Well, I found something in my house that he needs to take a look at."_ Regina tells her. _"It nearly killed Henry when he visited. I think someone is trying to kill me."_

Curiosity aroused, Melody leans over the counter. _"What is it Madame Major?"_

Regina smiles and raises her hand. A soft poof and some red smoke later, she holds a curious device in her hand. It looks like a mousetrap, but with more bolts and wires than necessary.

Melody takes it for a closer inspection. She has never seen anything like it. She puts it down on the desk and takes out a small looking glass. She bends down and studies the wires intently. She grabs some of the dust on her belt and sprinkles it on the weird looking device.

She looks back at Regina, feeling a little uneasy. _"It isn't magical Madame Mayor. I don't know why you brought it here."_

Regina smiles at her and tosses dust in her face. Melody doesn't see it coming and the dust hits hangs around her head for a little while. She falls down, fast asleep. Regina walks around the counter, grabs Melody's shoulder and together they disappear in a cloud of red smoke. All that remains are the mousetrap and the dust, still laying there on the bureau.

.-.

Melody wakes up, cheek pressed up against a wooden plank. She shakes the fuzziness from her head and takes a look around. She's in the belly of a ship. Her hands and feet are bound by shackles. She smiles and starts to change form. Normally it feels like pulling a stocking up a leg, it's a smooth process with some wriggling involved. This time it feels like trying to poke a hole through a brick wall. She just stops in confusion. Her shape changing doesn't work. Melody tries again and hits the same wall again. Now she's even developing a headache. Cringing, she tries again but to no avail. The wall is still there and now it feels like her head will burst.

Groaning she cradles her head in her hands. Why can't she shift? What's wrong? She hears footsteps coming down the stairs. Melody looks up, determined to not show any weakness. It's Regina again.

 _"What are you playing at Regina?"_ Melody asks.

She watches the Mayor laugh out loud. _"It really is too easy fooling you idiots, you know."_ Regina sneers.

She quickly disappears in a whirlwind of red magic. When the magic clears away, Regina is gone. In her place stands Cora, Regina's mother. She's a wicked sorceress and a Queen in her own right. She smiles at Melody. It doesn't make her face any more beautiful, but there you have it.

 _"This is better, don't you think?"_ she sneers at Melody.

Melody averts her gaze. She presses her lips together. She looks quite determined to keep her mouth shut. A man walks closer from behind Cora. He wears too much eyeliner and a slick black coat. He looks at Melody with hatred in his eyes. It's Rumple's old nemesis, Hook.

Cora sighs. _"Where's Rumple's dagger darling?"_

Melody looks at her and spits her in the face. Cora recoils but not fast enough. Drops of spit fly through the air and land on her cheek. She flushes red with anger. She points at Melody and murmurs something foul. Melody screams out loud.

.-.

Melody drifts in an out of her daze. One moment she wakes up and sees the Cricket himself sitting besides her. He looks at her, obviously feeling concerned. She can't hold on to his face and drifts away again.

.-.

She wakes up with a clear head a while later. The psychiatrist is still with her, he hasn't moved. Melody studies him intently. Like her, he's also chained to the ship. He notices she's awake now.

 _"Hey Melody. How are you feeling?"_ he asks her.

She shrugs it off. _"I've been worse."_ She stretches quickly and looks back at him. _"What happened?"_

The Cricket looks away, clearly feeling ashamed. _"They kidnapped me and threatened to kill me."_

Melody senses there's something he's not telling her. Dread settles in her gut. _"What did you tell them?"_

 _"I told them about he wants to find his son."_

Melody looks at him unbelievingly. She can't quite understand how this happened, this is bad. This is really bad.

 _"You didn't."_ she tells him whilst sending daggers with her eyes.

The Cricket looks down in shame. He did it all right. He sighs and says _"I also told them it's no use because he'll just loose his memories like the rest of us."_ Archie sighs sadly. _"No one can leave this place."_

Suddenly the lock above their heads opens. It's Belle. She quickly runs down the stairs, skirt fluttering around her legs.

 _"Mel! Archie! Are you guys ok?"_ she asks breathlessly.

 _"I'm fine Belle. It's Cora and Hook, we gotta keep them away from Rumple!"_ Melody shouts. _"Get me out of these things!"_

Belle fumbles around the cabin, looking around for the keys. She comes back within seconds, carrying a keychain and Gold's shawl. She frees the Cricket first and says urgently _"Go and tell Mary Margaret and the others about Cora and Hook. Go! Go!"_

The Cricket runs away as quick as he can. Belle then turns to Melody, but no key on the ring seems to fit her shackles. She pulls on the chains but it's in vain.

 _"Looking for these?"_ a deep voice asks. It comes from behind them.

Belle turns around and faces Hook. One single key dangles from his hook and he looks threateningly at Belle.

 _"Run honey."_ Melody tells her friend.

Belle does as she's told and runs away. Hook follows her outside, kicking Melody as he runs past. She winces in pain and thrashes around some more. The shackles cut into her wrists. She wrestles them for what seems like an eternity. Then she hears footsteps on the deck above her. She's sure she hears a cane. There's a fight, she can't really hear what happens. Somebody gets beaten up. She just hopes it isn't her master.

Suddenly the planks above her get ripped from the ship. She stares at Mr Gold looking down on her. She smiles at him. He doesn't smile back, he simply waves his hand and the shackles disappear. He turns around and walks away with his arm around Belle.

Melody crawls out of the belly of the ship. She glances to the side and sees Hook's battered face looking up at her.

 _"Why do you follow that old crocodile?"_ he asks her. _"He treats you like dirt."_

Melody smiles at him. _"Because he lets me."_ she says and turns away from the sad figure.


	3. Chapter 3

It's a normal day for Melody. Well, as normal days go when Mr Gold isn't nearby. She's feeling a little blue. After over a century of serving him loyally, he still dismisses her when the mood takes him. As if she hasn't earned any credit in his department. She can help him out there in New York. She knows his son as well. But he didn't want her to come. He left her behind.

Melody sighs and grabs the catalogue in front of her. It's something of an antiquarian's bible. Every month, they post new special items for them to sell. Gold always thumbs through the entire thing but today Melody can't be bothered. Suddenly Mary Margaret and David burst in the room.

 _"Melody!"_ Mary Margaret shouts.

She looks up in shock and puts way the thick book. " _What? What is it?"_

 _"I just saw Regina and Cora in the forest."_ Mary Margaret explains breathlessly. _"They were digging for Gold's dagger. They intent to use it to make him kill all of us."_

Silence follows that remark. The only sounds in the shop is the heavy breathing from Mary Margaret and David, who must have run here as quickly as their legs could carry them.

 _"What do you want me to do about it?"_ Melody asks. Mary Margaret and David just stare at her in shock. Mary Margaret looks at her husband for support.

David leans over the counter and says _"You need to help us find the dagger and hide it from Regina and Cora."_

Melody leans back in her chair and laughs out loud. _"So you tell me to watch out for Regina and Cora. They are a pair of witches and can turn into anyone they please. There's two of you."_ Melody concludes. It takes a few seconds, but she does see the penny drop.

 _"You think we're Cora and Regina!"_ Mary Margaret blurts out.

Melody gets up from behind the counter. _"Unless you can prove that you're not, I can't trust you. This seems exactly like something they would do. Also, I don't know where the dagger is."_ She looks at them with a sad smile. _"He doesn't trust anyone with a secret like that. Not even me."_

She looks at their disappointed faces and relents slightly. _"All I can tell you is this. Regina doesn't trust her mother. Deep down, she fears Cora's hunger for power. And if you're Cora and Regina, you should have a nice chat about that."_

The pair quickly turn around and run out of the shop. Melody calmly walks up to the door and locks it. Things are in motion. She doesn't quite know what is happening at the moment, but something big is going down. It's important for her to be ready when her master needs her.

She stands in front of the door, waiting for whatever will happen next. She wears her small collection of bags on her belt. She's ready for a fight. A while later Mary Margaret, David and Mother Superior come running.

 _"We've got to find that dagger!"_ David shouts. "Help us and let us in!"

Melody still isn't can't be sure they are who they say they are. They did bring the nun, but what does that prove, really? She decides to keep them outside.

 _"Stay right there."_ Melody says threateningly. _"I already told you, iI don't know where it is. And now get going!"_

Mother Superior raises her wand. Melody shudders. She really doesn't like fairies. That blue one is easily one of the worst. She can say whatever she wants, it's her fault Baelfire went through that portal all those years ago. _"Put the wand down, lady."_

The nun ignores her and starts working her magic. The wand is heating up. She's struggling to keep it going. Melody grins. Gold's protection spell is still at full force. She grabs the small pocket mirror from her bag. It's an old thing but it is enchanted. She opens it up and shouts _"Dark One!"_

The three people in front of the shop keep struggling with the magic. Melody hears the nun grunting. The small piece of glass in her hand ripples and Gold's face appears in it. Melody gasps for breath. He looks terrible.

 _"Master?"_

"Mel." he groans. His face is all sweaty and ashen. He is hurt, Melody can tell. There's blood on his shirt and he lays slumped in a couch. He gathers his strength and says _"Go and get the dagger with Mary Margaret and David."_

"What?"

 _"Keep it safe for me pet. We're on our way."_

Melody swallows her questions and turns to David and Mary Margaret. David is on the phone, looking at her.

 _"Yes Master."_ Melody says and she closes the mirror. She puts it on a shelf and steps outside to meet the three heroes.

 _"Follow me."_ she says.

 _"Emma just called."_ David tells her. _"She said you know where the dagger is hidden."_

 _"I do."_

David looks at her accusingly. _"You lied to us!"_

Melody shrugs indifferently. _"I honestly didn't know you were who you said you were. You could have been Cora and Regina, trying to trick me into giving you the dagger."_

Mary Margaret puts a calming hand on David's arm. _"Let's just go and get it."_

 _"I need to prepare my fairies."_ says Mother Superior. _"If Regina and Cora succeed, we'll need them."_

She turns on her heals and quickly walks to her convent. Melody resists the urge to shout something nasty and turns to face the clocktower. _"This way."_ she says.

She leads David and Mary Margaret up the stairs until they are right behind the big handles of the clock. They just keep ticking away the time, minding their own business. The wheels of the clock make a nice clicking noise. The sun shines through the glass, giving the room a nice warm feeling.

David and Mary Margaret look at Melody who reaches behind the biggest handle of the clock. Their faces light up in admiration when they realize Gold hid his dagger in plain sight. Melody comes back in the room holding it.

 _"A clever hiding space for a very clever man."_ say David, the admiration clear in his voice.

 _"We did it."_ sighs Mary Margaret happily.

David nods to his wife and holds out his hand to receive the dagger from Melody. _"The Dark One finally can be controlled."_

Melody quickly steps back, clutching the dagger to her chest. _"Wait a second you two. Nobody said anything about controlling him."_

Suddenly a purple glistening cloud appears a little further and Cora and Regina calmly stand there waiting for them.

 _"Indeed he can be. But by whom?"_ Regina sneers.

Melody quickly takes stock of the situation. Two powerful witches who will use her master to kill everybody they don't like. On the other side there's two so called heroes who she can definitely take on if necessary. Melody nods to David and Mary Margaret and turns to face the two witches.

Quickly she shifts into the shape of a hawk. Doing so she has to drop the dagger, but she immediately dives down when the transformation is complete. Because she looks down, her focus being picking up the dagger, she doesn't notice Cora throwing a small net at her with blinding speed. David jumps forward to block it but he's too slow. The net flies through his reaching hands and hits the small bird head on. Before the hawk reaches the dagger on the floor she's swept up in the net and goes flying through the glass of the clock. The shock of the impact stuns Melody briefly. She falls down through the air, trying to shake off the net with her wings. Her brain is all fuzzy, which doesn't help at all. The twists and turns are making her nauseous, but the little hawk manages to shake of the net moments before she plummets to the ground. She desperately flaps her wings at the last second as the net below her hits the cobblestones but gravity manages to pull her down.

She crashes on the ground below on the net she just managed to shake off. If she hadn't used her wings, she'd be dead right now. Feeling battered all over, Melody changes back. Everything hurts as she lies there spread eagled. She truly tries to get up, but the fogginess won't quite leave her brain yet. She hit her little hawk head hard on the stones. She decides to take a moment to breathe and then head back upstairs. She looks at the clock intently as she focusses on her breathing.

Suddenly a body goes flying through the glass. Melody watches the person fly through the air and it's only her sharp reflexes that save her. She quickly rolls to the side as the screaming person hits the ground hard. Feeling utterly shocked, Melody crawls over to the person lying on the cobblestones. It's an old woman she doesn't quite recognize. Feeling foolish, she sticks two fingers underneath the woman's chin. There's no pulse. She's dead. She looks up at the clocktower and sees David and Mary Margaret stare down in horror. Melody shakes her head and sees Mary Margaret crumple to the ground with grief.

.-.

Melody drags herself back to the shop. Mary Margaret is absolutely destroyed by the old lady's death. They are going to bury her and everything. Melody has bigger fish to fry. She doesn't mind making time to properly bury loved ones, but you know, priorities. There are two powerful witches with the means to control the Dark One and Melody told the heroes they needed to focus on that little problem first.

Because she feared she'd yell at Mary Margaret when she was grieving, Melody just walked away. Let them deal with this by themselves. With each step Melody takes, she feels a stab in the left side of her ribcage. It hurst a lot, but she pushes it away. Priorities. First she needs to prepare for her master's return. She needs to fortify the shop. Set up defenses and things like that.

She looks grim as she enters the front door. Nobody will break in, she'll make sure of that. Rumpelstiltskin will be proud of her.

.-.

The next day a truck stops right outside of the shop with screeching brakes. David jumps out and runs up to the shop. He tries to open the door but finds it locked. Melody runs up to him. When she opens the door, it opens without any problems.

He looks confused but she ignores him. _"They are nearly here aren't they?"_ she says.

David swallows the questions and nods. He simply motions to his truck. Mary Margaret and Ruby are already there. _"Hop in."_ he says.

They quickly drive to the docks. Before they arrive, they can spot the massive ship approaching in the distance. Melody resists the urge to tell David to hurry. He drives as fast he can, she's sure of it.

The truck stops whilst skidding through the mud. Melody jumps out and runs towards the approaching ship. Melody runs toward the doorknob to open the door. Neal and David support Mr Gold as they drag him inside. Melody motions to the bed in the corner. _"Put him there."_

She immediately starts to order the heroes around. _"Emma, why don't you go outside and draw a line with this."_

Melody holds up a seemingly empty glass container. Emma looks at her as if she's absolutely lost it, but Melody simply reaches inside and sticks out her hand. _"Invisible chalk. Just go with it Savior."_ she says.

Emma nods and goes to the front of the shop with the chalk and a confused expression on her face.

 _"Mel?"_

Melody turns around to face Neal. She didn't really say anything to him earlier because she was busy with taking care of his father. She smiles at the boy she hasn't seen in decades. She opens her arms and he goes in for a massive hug.

As they let go of one another, Melody says _"Nice to see you again kid."_ She smiles at Neal and says _"You've got no idea how much we've missed you."_

She touches his face quickly and turns her attention back to Mr Gold.

 _"I'm sorry Master. Regina and Cora have the dagger. We couldn't stop them."_ she tells him.

Gold winces slightly, but leaves it like it is. He sags back into the pillows of the bed and closes his eyes.


	4. Chapter 4

The days after Cora's death are extremely confusing or everybody. Mary Margaret feels depressed about what she did to Cora, Regina is on the war path, Greg and Tamara stir up some trouble and Belle thinks she's Lacey. It's an exciting time to be in the little town of Storybrooke.

Unfortunately all that has to end eventually. The town is on the brink of destruction with only Emma and Regina able to absorb the magic of the trigger. With everybody distracted with you know, impending doom, Greg and Tamara's exit almost goes unnoticed. They manage to kidnap poor Henry and disappear through a portal. The whole family unites in a massive rescue attempt.

Emma and Regina are besides themselves from worrying, but there's no shortage of volunteers. Even arch enemies Gold and Hook agree not to kill each other for now for Henry's sake.

Gold grabs his cane from behind the door and walks towards Belle. She holds up his coat, worry written in ever line on her face. Melody approaches them, backpack in hand.

 _"Are you ready sir?"_ she asks him. Sometimes it's better to be blunt about these things. That way the goodbyes can be less sad.

Rumple sticks his arms through the sleeves of his coat and looks at her. He looks quite cross. _"You're staying behind."_ he orders.

Melody feels like she plummets to the ground. Her mouth opens and closes, but no sound comes out. She feels like an icy pick was just jammed in her gut.

 _"But... but..."_ she stammers. _"Sir please don't..."_

 _"Silence."_ Rumple interrupts her. _"You're staying here to look after the shop. That's my final word. Come along Belle."_

He turns around and walks out of the shop. Belle looks at Melody with pity in her eyes, but quickly runs after the man she loves.

.-.

Mr. Gold, Mary Margaret, David, Emma, Regina and Hook all find themselves thrown in an unusual partnership. They all stand on the deck of the Jolly Roger, looking slightly awkward. Most of them used to be bitter enemies after all. Some still are.

They sail through the whirlpool of the portal. The ship dives into the waters and falls through the fabric of the wold. Everyone stares in wonder at the round tunnel of water they sail through. The water flows all around them in a infinite and timeless current. Old resentments are ignored for now as everyone just takes in the moment.

Regina walks across the deck, trying her best to complain about something. It's a defense mechanism. She's just very worried about Henry. The way she expresses that worry is by complaining. She spots a rat scurrying across the wooden planks of the deck.

 _"Hook, couldn't you at least make this blasted boat rat-free?"_ she whines.

Hook looks up in surprise. _"There are no rats on my ship, love. She's a good, clean ship she is."_

Mr Gold stops walking around and looks at the rat. Everyone is on edge, because the rat is clearly staring right back at Gold. Mary Margaret gasps and covers her mouth with her hands.

Mr Gold sighs and says very clearly _"That's not a rat. Come out, come out, dearie."_

Everybody looks on as that small rat shifts back into Melody. She looks scared. She's hunched just slightly, trying to look small and submissive.

 _"Master I..."_ she says.

 _"Silence!"_ Mr Gold roars. He approaches her quickly, cane tapping on the wooden planks with every step he takes. _"You disobeyed me!"_

She flinches and drops down to her knees. _"I'm sorry Master. I'm sorry!"_

Mary Margaret comes closer, trying to protect the scared girl. _"She obviously just wants to..."_

Mr Gold holds up his hand, silencing her. _"I'll take care of this."_ He grabs Melody by her arm and takes her below deck. Even Regina now looks slightly alarmed.

A few moments later Mr Gold emerges again. Melody stays below deck. For the rest of the trip, nobody speaks a word.

The ship arrives at the shores of Neverland. Melody notices because she can feel the sand scrape across the keel. Now the hatch opens and Mr Gold descends into her space.

 _"Out."_ he orders. She scuttles out but isn't fast enough. He uses his magic to send her flying. Everyone in the rescue party looks up in surprise as Melody lands painfully on the wooden planks. Splinters dig in her flesh as she scrambles to stand up. Everyone can clearly see the black bruise on her cheekbone. Their pity is too much for her to bear and Melody adverts her eyes. She's ashamed of herself, but can't seem to help it. She wanders off to the bow, breathing the clear air.

Everyone behind her starts to talk about what to do. She doesn't listen. She waits for him. Like she always does. He comes out of the cabin and everyone looks at him. He's wearing the outfit he used to wear in the enchanted forest. It's quite disconcerting to see Mr Gold wear Rumpelstiltskin's outfit.

 _"Oh, that's a great use of our time—a wardrobe change!"_ sneers Hook.

.-.

Gold turns to Melody. _"Melody. Stay with the Charmings."_ He then turns back to Emma with disdain in his eyes. _"Sorry, dearie, our foe is too fearsome for hand-holding. Neverland is a place where imagination runs wild. And, sadly, yours doesn't."_ he concludes.

Before anyone can protest, he spins his cane with the flair of a magician pulling off a massive trick. Before the cane hits the deck, he has blinked out of existence. Melody can only stare at the place where her master was standing just a moment ago. A tear falls down her cheek as she averts her eyes. She hates being left alone.

Mary Margaret comes closer and she gives her a hug. _"You just stick with us honey."_

The group of heroes and villains starts their trek into the jungle of Neverland. Emma has a map, but it's still blank. They all think it's a trick from Pan, but Melody knows better. She knows a little about Peter Pan and what she knows isn't good. She's absolutely convinced he doesn't lie about things like this. She has no idea what the cryptic instructions mean, but she is sure that the map will remain blank until Emma accepts whatever she is.

During their trip, they stumble upon the camp of the Lost Boys and a massive fight breaks out. Melody roars in defiance and changes into a wolf. Everything is confusing and happens so quickly. In the aftermath of the fight, David tries his best to hide the truth of his wound for Mary Margaret. Regina is the fist one to notice somebody's missing.

Regina looks around, eyes scanning the battlefield. _"Where's Melody?"_ she asks.

For a moment nobody answers. Emma has just admitted to feeling like an orphan and the tension is still quite high.

 _"Hey!"_ Regina exclaims again. Several pairs of eyes turns towards her. _"Where is Melody?"_

They all look around, but there is no trace of her anywhere. Mary Margaret kneels down besides a thorny bush. David comes closer quickly.

 _"What is it? What do you see?"_ he asks her.

 _"These are tracks from a wolf."_ She says as she looks up to him. _"She must've changed shape."_

Regina approaches, looking annoyed. _"Well, do the tracks say where she went to?"_

Mary Margaret turns her gaze back to the dirt. _"I can see there was a struggle."_ She points to two shallow grooves in the earth running next to each other a little further away. _"And those look like the marks you leave when you drag someone across the dirt."_

She turns to face her husband. _"They must've taken her whilst we were fighting."_

David looks up in confusion. _"Why would they do that?"_ he asks.

Regina snaps at him. _"That's easy. She is the only one on this island who cares for Rumpelstiltskin."_ she explains. _"She's leverage."_

Everyone lets that sink in for a second. It's silent in the forest. Only the birds chirping proves time goes on.

 _"We have to keep going."_ Regina says.

Mary Margaret looks appalled. _"We have to at least try to rescue her."_

 _"We're here to rescue Henry."_ Emma chimes in. She nods at a grateful Regina. _"If we find her, sure we'll try to rescue her. But our priority is Henry."_ she concludes.

They look at the map and start walking.

.-.

The following morning they all wake up from Emma's shout. Mary Margaret and David quickly rush to see why their daughter is shouting and find Emma standing next to a confused Melody.

 _"Melody!"_ Mary Margaret shouts happily. _"You're ok!"_ and goes in for a hug.

Her smile falters when Melody cowers away in fear. _"Stay away from me! Leave me alone!"_ she screams and tries to scramble backwards.

 _Regina comes closer and bends down to get to Melody's level. "Melody, do you know where you are?" she asks kindly._

 _"No."_ Melody answers shakily. _"Who are you? Where am I?"_

Regina takes her hand and looks her deep in the eyes. _"Can I just take a look at the back of you neck for a second? I'll explain, I promise."_

Hesitantly, Melody agrees and bends her head down. Regina bows down to look closely at the back of Melody's head. She stands up and brushes the dirt of her knees. _"It looks like she had her memories taken away."_ Regina tells the people around her.

Mary Margaret looks at Melody in horror. _"Can you reverse it or something?"_

Regina shakes her head sadly. _"If you remove memories by physically cutting them out, it's permanent. And that's exactly what Pan did because you can still see the wound right there."_ She turns to Melody. _"Why don't you come with us for now. We'll explain what happened to you as we go on."_

Melody behaves very differently now. She doesn't joke anymore, she doesn't say or do much. She also seems to have lost the ability to shift. The party decides to take her back to the ship and leave her there. Regina grabs her by the elbow and they disappear in a cloud of purple smoke. She leaves her there with strict instructions to not move a muscle until they get back.

That's when Regina goes off on her own to find Mr Gold.

.-.

A little while later Mr Gold is standing at the edge of a cliff. He drops the little puppet straight down, hoping it's over. In his heart he knows it will be futile, but he needs to try nonetheless.

As the puppet falls down he can hear a whistling sound behind him. As he turns around in a flash, he's just in time to spot an arrow fly at him at breakneck speed. His reaction seems to be just slightly too late as he gathers his magic in a frantic moment. A fraction of a moment before he'll be pierced by a no doubt poisoned arrow, a black raven throws itself between him and the arrow. With a screech it tumbles down the ravine. Mr Gold immediately releases his magic at the Lost Boy who fired the shot, but it brings him no joy. There is only one person on the planet who would take a poisoned arrow for him.

He breaks down crying.

.-.

Everybody finds themselves on the ship on a single trip home. They free Mr Gold from Pandora's box. Everyone looks thoughtful as he gently floats out of the box. He seems a little confused, but Henry is struggling downstairs and they manage to trap Pan in the box.

Neal even finds he has it in him to give his father another chance. Mr Gold proved he didn't intent to kill Henry but only wanted to save him. They hug it out on the deck of the Jolly Roger.

Neal releases his father and looks him in the eyes. _"I'm glad we all got out of there."_ he says to him.

He's quite surprised when he sees tears well up in his father's eyes. _"Not everybody did."_ his father whispers.

Neal looks at him, feeling confused. He came to Neverland with Pan's shadow, so he didn't even know Melody also came to Neverland. Mr Gold turns away from his son's face. He can't bear to answer all his question. Regina looks at the two of them and feels genuine pity for Mr Gold. She knows how much he cares for Melody, even though he'll never tell her that. Then out of the corner of her eye, she spots a rat sitting on the deck.

 _"Gold."_ she whispers.

He looks at her, sadness written in every line on his face.

 _"What?"_ he asks her.

 _"Doesn't that rat look familiar?"_ Regina asks him as she motions at the rat on the deck. Mary Margaret holds in her breath as she looks on, smiling broadly.

Mr Gold looks at the rat sitting on deck. It's not moving. It just sits there, looking straight at him. He walks away from his son and approaches the rat slowly.

 _"Come out, come out dearie"_ he whispers softly. He almost doesn't dare to hope, but his face lights up. He laughs out loud as Melody changes back to her human form. Mr Gold takes the last few steps separating them and grabs her in a big hug.

 _"I thought you were dead."_ he whispers in her ear. They stand together for a few more moments and then they turn to the rest of the company.

 _"Mel?"_ Neal utters in surprise. _"I should've known you'd be here."_ His face splits open in a massive smile and he comes over to give her a hug. _"You'd never leave my father, now would you?"_ Emma and Mary Margaret come over as well.

 _"You lost your memories!"_ Mary Margaret tells her. _"I saw it! Regina told us it was permanent!"_

Regina joins the group. _"It IS permanent. I didn't get that wrong."_ she says, sounding annoyed.

 _"Pan didn't take my memories, Mary Margaret."_ Melody explains. _"He took them from a 78 year old woman."_

Everybody looks on confused. Mr Gold simply laughs. _"You finally got to use those, did you?"_ And he hugs her once more.

Melody smiles at them. _"I knew he'd try something like that. But he isn't half as clever as he thinks he is, you know."_ She looks back at Mr gold. _"I wanted to keep you safe, but I knew Pan wouldn't let me. So I had to come up with something."_

 _"That's my girl."_ Mr Gold says, smiling broadly. _"Thank you for looking after me."_


	5. Chapter 5

As the ship arrives back home, Belle is right there waiting for them. Everyone steps down and goes on with their lives. Or so they think. Unbeknownst to them they also brought Pan to Storybrooke. When Mother Superior is killed by Pan's Shadow, people start to catch on. Pan's still here and causing mayhem like he always does.

Melody stands on the edge of the town line. She changed into the shape of a wolf and is ready to pounce. Gold puts Pandora's box outside the town line and opens it. Emma has her gun pointed at where Pan will come out.

As the figure slowly comes back into the world, everyone readies their weapons. Melody growls, Gold is ready to release his magic and Emma has a gun pointed at the traitor. Pan steps out of the box but he manages to convince his mother that he's actually Henry. Unfortunately they are too late to stop the real Pan of getting his hands on The Dark Curse. He intends to make a New Neverland right here in Storybrooke.

In Gold's shop they put Henry/Pan asleep. Gold has a plan for them to switch bodies, but it involves using the Wand of the Dark Faerie. Regina isn't too keen, but nobody has any other way of separating the two so there you have it. Gold works his magic and switches Henry and Pan so that they are back into their own bodies. Pan's breathing slowly, deep asleep on the couch. He's wearing the bracelet that binds his magic, so Gold is sure he can't do anything to escape.

He turns to the heroes and says _"I need some time alone with my father."_

Melody exits the shop and goes for a walk. Pan is restrained, the Dark Curse is averted once more and she feels like she deserves a break. She heads to Granny's Diner for a cup of coffee. As her feet hit the pavement, she reflects on the previous days. It's been a wild ride.

Suddenly she realizes she forgot her wallet in Gold's shop. Granny isn't her biggest fan because from time to time she collects the rent for Gold. There's no way she'd do her a favor and put it on a tap or something. Melody stops and thinks for a moment. It's a chilly day, so the wind sends a shiver up her spine. The best thing for her to do is to go back to the shop and quickly collect the wallet. With any luck, Gold won't even realize she's there. Happy with this plan Melody turns on her heels and walks back to the shop.

She walks back slowly, enjoying the moment. She has no worries, nothing to do and no plans. It's a fantastic feeling. She arrives at the front door and heads in the shop. She quietly sneaks up to the till and looks underneath the cash register. There it is. She reaches out to grab the wallet but stops when she hears a groan coming from the back room.

Curious she risks a peak through the open door to find out what Gold is doing there. She's shocked when she sees the state the room is in. Gold lies in the remains of what used to be a cabinet. Wooden splinters are strewn about all around him and his struggles mightily, clutching his arm. Melody runs up to him, looking very worried. Gold looks up to her as she kneels down beside him. He tries his best to get the bracelet of his arm. Pan's bracelet. Something clicks in Melody's brain and dread fills her stomach. Pan somehow got free.

 _"It's Pan, he's going to kill Bae!"_ Mr Gold shouts in a panic.

Melody looks in his eyes and says _"I'll keep him safe."_

She changes into a wolf and runs out of the shop. She runs at top speed towards the square where Pan is monologuing at everyone. They seem frozen in time. He holds them in some sort of enchantment. Melody creeps up behind Pan, staying as silent as possible. When she's close she jumps up in the air, claws extended and growling furiously. And then she freezes mid-jump.

 _"Did you think I didn't see you coming, worm?"_ Pan sneers at her as he turns around.

He looks at her in disgust. _"I don't know what you did to keep your memories, but I'll be damn sure to correct that mistake."_ He approaches the wolf as she's suspended in mid air. He leans over and studies the teeth and growl from up close.

 _"That was almost close, you know."_ Pan sneers. He turns back to the rest of their company. _"I'll start with Neal. You shall die first."_

When Mr Gold stands between his father and his son, Melody feels such a relief. He's here now. He'll make everything right again. He'll sort things out. He looks pretty determined. He looks like he has a plan to turn this whole thing around. Melody does notice he still wears the bracelet. That can't be good. When he turns to Belle and Neal to say goodbye, Melody starts feeling exceedingly nervous. This is not the behavior of someone who's going to make everything alright. It's the behavior of someone leaving. Mr Gold turns around to face her as well. He looks her right in the eyes.

 _"Thank you for sticking by me, Melody. I don't deserve to have someone so loyal by my side."_ He smiles at her. _"Thank you."_

Pan smiles creepily. _"But still, no magic."_ he says.

Rumple turns to him and says _"Oh but I don't need it. You see, you may have lost your shadow, but there's one thing you forget."_

Sneering, Pan takes the bait. _"And what is that?"_

 _"So have I."_ Rumple responds. _"I send it away with something to hide."_ He raises his hand up in the air and his shadow flies down.

Rumple holds his dagger firmly in his hand as he grapples Pan. _"You see," he explains "the only way for you to die, if if we both die. And now, now, I'm ready."_

As Rumple and his father disappear from the face of the earth, the enchantment lifts from the frozen figures. Belle breaks down crying and falls to her knees. Everyone else just stands there looking absolutely horrified by the sacrifice.

The wolf falls on the ground. There she changes back to her human form. Melody looks absolutely horrified. She calls out his name. She cries. And she just shuts down.

Mary Margaret takes her by the shoulders and leads her along with the rest of them. She doesn't respond. She doesn't speak, she just cries softly as tears fall from her eyes. She stares in the distance, looking for a world that makes sense again. Looking for a pair of golden eyes.


	6. Chapter 6

Everyone reappears back in the Enchanted Forest. They head to Regina's castle, but find it taken over by the Wicked Witch of the West.

When the heroes try to get inside, they set up a camp. Melody hasn't gotten out of bed once since they got there. It's as if she doesn't know her place in the world anymore now that he's gone. She just stares at the ceiling, hoping to find a way out of the sea of desperation in her head. Every day someone will sit with her, talk to her, trying to coach her out of the depression that has her in his clutches. It's no use. Melody stays silent and grieves for her mentor.

On one ordinary evening, Belle sits herself down next to Melody's bed.

 _"Hey Mel."_ she says softly. Belle looks at her friend and feels nothing but pity. Melody doesn't acknowledge her, doesn't even look at her. She continues staring.

 _"So Neal and I have a plan. We're going away for a while."_ Belle tells her. _"We're going to the Dark Castle to try and find a way to get Rumple back."_

Somehow those words penetrate the darkness inside Melody's brain. Usually she grasps what people say to her and then simply dismisses their words, but not this time. _Get Rumple back._ Those three words ring true and it's as if they light a fire that clears away the darkness. The fire grows and for the first time in days she moves her head.

Belle is walking out of the tent. Melody can see her. She's sad.

 _"Belle."_ she whispers.

Belle turns around in surprise. The apathy has gone away from Melody's face. She doesn't look happy by any stretch of the imagination, but she looks Belle right in the eyes. Belle smiles and quickly comes closer to the bed.

 _"Mel! How are you feeling?"_ she asks.

Melody looks inside, searching for an honest answer. _"Terrible."_ she says.

Belle gives her a hug she can't yet give back. But at least there's life again in her eyes.

 _"Is Bae coming with you?"_ Melody asks her when she lets go.

 _"He is, love. We're leaving for the Dark Castle. And I think you should come with us. Nobody knows that place better than you do after all."_

Melody slowly gets up from her bed. She puts her feet on the ground and takes a deep breath. Then she slowly stands up, feeling a little like a foal taking his first steps. _"I'm coming."_

 _.-._

The trio travels through the forest. With every step she takes, Melody regains a little bit of her sanity. Every birdsong she hears gives her another reason to live. Every squirrel she sees makes her want to smile again. By the time they arrive at the Dark Castle, Melody feels almost normal. That big evil looking castle is her home. That's where she was truly happy.

When the three of them stop for a moment to admire the sight and to appreciate just how far they've come, Melody smiles for the first time. Belle notices and smiles back. The enter the castle. It's dark and dusty, but the feeling of coming home can't be shaken off. Melody truly feels like she belongs here and not in Storybrooke. It's a nice place but it can't compare with living in a castle.

 _"So, we made it."_ she says. _"What's the plan?"_

With a smile, Belle leads the way. _"There is no plan. But we'll find one in the library, I'm sure."_

Chuckling, Melody follows her deep into the castle. Neal pulls a face and asks _"What's so funny?"_

 _"She's mad about books. When she lived here, your father created a whole library just for her."_ Melody explains.

They arrive in a massive room filled with books. They haven't been dusted in years and it has that distinctive old book smell. Neal sneezes loudly.

 _"Alright you guys. Start searching."_ Belle says.

.-.

That night, they arrive at the Vault of the Dark One. It's an evil place, you can tell. There's a massive dial on the floor with many strange symbols engraved on it. Melody has never been here before and Rumple hasn't mentioned anything like it either. She hardly recognizes anything, there's a pentagram, a triangle, an eye, but there her knowledge ends. The most inner circle is something like a sun, with a strange shaped hole in the middle of it.

They all look slightly unsure now that they are actually here. The key they found seems to fit into the keyhole. Neal kneels thoughtfully next onto the dial. Snowflakes slowly drift down. Neal grabs hold of the key and gets ready to push it in.

 _"Neal wait."_ Belle shouts. Melody didn't trust that Candlestick from the start and now even Belle seems unsure. It all seems too real and dangerous now that there is one person kneeling on a massive dial, trying to resurrect the Dark One. Melody looks extremely worried and quickly steps towards the kneeling figure but she's too slow.

Neal presses down the key and immediately they hear the clank of wheels turning. The sun in the middle heats up and is outlined in an scary orange glow. Neal screams in pain as the key heats up. He lets go, falls backwards and pushes his hand in the snow. Melody falls to her knees beside him and looks upon his hand in horror. The symbol from the key is now burned in the palm of Neal's hand.

It did work. The vault opens and a black goo starts filling the dial. It looks like it's filled with pure darkness. Slowly a dark figure emerges from it. First it doesn't look human, it's just something dripping with liquid darkness. As Neal starts to convulse in the snow, more of the black goo drips off the figure. It's Rumpelstiltskin. He has his eyes closed and clutches his dagger in one hand. He looks like he's sleeping. His clothes black and grey. His face looks ashen.

He slowly opens his eyes. The first thing he sees is Belle and Melody cradling his dying son.

 _"Belle?"_ he says. She looks at him, happy and sad at the same time. _"Bae?"_

Now the terror in his voice is clear and he quickly drops down with them to hold his son in his arms. Neal is dying and there's nothing they can do about it.

Then Zelena shows up and starts taunting them. Rumpelstiltskin doesn't want to let his son die, so he uses his magic to keep him close. A silver glow outlines father and son as the Dark One tries desperately to hold on. For the first time in his life he chooses his son over his magic and drops the dagger. He saves Baelfire, but it's at the cost of his freedom and his sanity.

Belle and Melody stand a little further away, clutching onto each other for dear life. Rumple's face changes. For a moment they see both him and his father in his face. Then Rumple is back and he collapses into the snow.

Melody senses Zelena is seconds away from killing them both. She has the dagger. They are in grave danger now. Melody nudges Belle and starts shifting. Her limbs grow and she becomes a full fledged horse. Belle swiftly jumps on and together they gallop away. Melody charges at Zelena who has to dive into the snow to avoid the hooves. Belle grabs Lumière in passing and together they disappear into the forest.

.-.

They make their way through the forest. After a while they can hear the screeching of monkeys behind them. Zelena has send her Flying Monkeys after them. They flee the forest but are still not safe from their pursuers. Belle and Melody stay together and go into hiding for about 4 months. The monkeys have lost their trail by then, so they can safely rejoin the heroes.

The minute they arrive back in the camp, Melody drops Belle of at the tent of the Charmings and heads straight for the Evil Queen. She passes people calling her name but she ignores everyone. The Queen's headquarters is her goal and nobody will keep her from it. She pushes aside the flap hanging in front of the entrance and walks up to Regina sitting in a chair.

 _"We need to talk."_ she says.

The Queen already has a lot on her mind. Snow White is now pregnant. She has some confusing feelings for Robin. The Wicked Witch of the West is causing havoc. And now she even has the Dark One as a pet.

She motions for Melody to continue whilst massaging her temples. _"What is it?"_

Melody looks her right in the eyes and says _"I'm going to try to free him."_

Regina looks up. Melody surely looks certain. She has that look in her eyes that tells Regina that she won't change her mind.

She sighs. _"Zelena can kill you, you know."_

Melody smiles at her. _"I'll be really careful. I'll be a fly on the wall. She won't even notice I'm there."_

Sensing there's no point in arguing, Regina just sighs a tired sigh. _"Good luck then."_

Melody smiles. Then she changes into a hawk and flies away.

She flies without stopping. First she goes back to the vault, but there's nothing left to see. There's no trace left from the horrific events of four months earlier. Time has erased everything. So Melody flies up again. The next place she goes to is the Dark Castle. It feels like something Zelena would do. She needs a base of operations anyway. Now that The Evil Queen's castle isn't an option anymore, she needs something else. During her time with Belle, Melody heard rumors that Zelena has taken up residence in the Dark Castle.

So on she goes. The kilometers fly by and she lands safely just beyond the border of the Castle. She knows these woods, she has lived here with Rumpelstiltskin for decades. After the long flight she decides to rest. It's no use to go on a rescue when you get captured immediately because you're exhausted. It doesn't look like it will rain so she changes into a tiny squirrel and climbs up a tree. There she crawls into a small hole and wraps herself with her bushy tail. Five minutes later she's fast asleep.

The next day she goes right up to the border of the domain. The Dark Castle isn't far away, she can see it waiting for her in the distance. Standing there she can feel the hairs on her arms stand up. It's the magical barrier she senses. She stands right in front of it. When you stand absolutely still, you can almost see it. It's a shimmering in the air and you'll miss it if you don't know what to look for.

Melody changes into the shape of a fruit fly. Magical barriers don't pick up something as insignificant and small like a fruit fly. At least, this one doesn't. It's a massive distance to cross for her like this, but at least she's sure Zelena won't sense her coming. She crosses the border and flies ahead. She starts to cross the garden. Just to be sure, she stays close to the grass. As a woman, this walk would take her about 20 minutes. As a fruit fly, it takes her about an hour. She has to land halfway through to take a rest. Fruit flies aren't known for their endurance.

At long last she arrives at the front gate. As minuscule as she is right now, the castle in front of her seems to be monstrously big. It looms over this insignificant fly as she whizzes through the crack in the front door. Once she's in the castle she immediately changes into a rat and scurries away.

It's only about ten in the morning, but she's absolutely exhausted from her trip here. As a rat she crawls into lower belly of the castle. It's like seeing an old friend again, she feels utterly comfortable walking down her secret paths. She has lived in this Castle for over a century. She knows every nook and cranny of the old building. She finds her way to the dungeon where Belle slept when she first arrived. The door is still closed and the cell is empty. It's a good guess that Zelena won't find her here. Why would she need to be in the dungeons anyway? Just to be sure, Melody quickly checks the rest of the cells. They are all empty and dusty. Zelena hasn't come down here once. She lays herself down on Belle's old bed and closes her eyes.

She'll find Rumple later. Now it's time for a nap.

Melody rises a couple of hours later. She changes into a spider and crawls along the wall. She starts to go up, one room at a time. She finds Zelena reading a book in the library, but no sign of Rumple. She keeps going. When the light outside has faded and after what feels like a million rooms, at last she finds him. Zelena put him in a cage in the middle of a large room. A fire burns steadily, making it nice and warm. Rumpelstiltskin sits hunched over in his cel, spinning his wheel. He keeps muttering to himself in rhyme. Melody, as a spider, sets herself down next to a clock on the mantlepiece. Time to observe Zelena's routine, if she has one.

As a spider, all you really need to eat are flies. Melody didn't move for two days. Then the hunger became too much so she went away to catch some flies. She immediately came back to sit in her old spot next to the clock. Zelena talks to Rumpelstiltskin every day. And every morning she orders him to do something stupid, just to reassure herself that nothing has changed and he's still under her control. On some nights she also has dinner with him.

Melody observes Zelena as well. She notices that she always keeps the dagger on her belt. It's in a sheath on her hip and she never takes it off, not even for sleeping. That could be a problem, but it's nothing Melody can't deal with.

Melody does realize Zelena won't have dinner with Rumple twice in a row. So she even though she really wants to act, she stays quiet. She waits for the perfect opportunity. When Zelena eats dinner with Rumple one night, Melody knows it's now or never.

That night, Zelena is fast asleep in her room. A fly buzzes into the room. When it's right beside the sleeping witch, Melody changes back into a girl. Slowly she slips the dagger out of its sheath. Zelena moves a little in her sleep and Melody's heart nearly stops. But she sleeps on, so Melody breathes a huge sigh of relief.

She turns on her heals and quietly walks out of the room. When she arrives in the hallway she starts running towards Rumple's cage.

It's the middle of the night, the moonlight casts shadows on Rumple's face as he lays down in his cel. He's fast asleep. Melody runs towards him and opens the door of his cage. The clanking noise wakes him up. He looks at Melody and realization dawns on his face. He suddenly looks scared.

 _"Mel?"_ he asks. _"Run away, she'll kill you!"_

Melody smiles at him and holds up the dagger. She hands it to her mentor. _"No she won't."_ she says.

Rumple looks terrified. _"That's not... Aaargh!"_ he exclaims. Suddenly he releases a blast of magical energy at her that throws her backwards with the force of ten bulls.

Melody flies through the air and smacks on the floor. It knocks all the wind out of her and she lays stunned for a moment. She groans softly and clutches her aching head. A chuckle comes from the doorway.

 _"You didn't think it would be so easy did you?"_ Zelena sneers.

As panic grips her heart, Melody manages to scramble up. Then Rumple once more grips her tightly with his magic. He looks apologetic, but there's nothing he can do. Zelena has his real dagger in her hand and he's a puppet dancing on her strings.

Melody looks on horrified as she realizes she stepped in a big trap. She can't move a muscle. She can only watch Zelena as she approaches. She steps closer and moves her face right in front to Melody's. Their nose are almost touching.

 _"I still have the dagger you foolish girl. And I have always hated you, you know."_ she says. She smiles cruelly and thrusts her hand into Melody's chest. It doesn't work. The magic doesn't work. Zelena's smile changes into a scowl when she realizes Melody' s heart won't come out.

Melody smiles at her, which enrages the witch even further. Zelena slaps her in the face. _"What's this?"_ she mutters. _"Rumple, why can't I grab her heart?"_ she asks the sad figure in the cage.

 _"Her heart is protected by a faerie. It can't be taken out by thee."_ Rumple says in his creepy sing song voice.

Zelena sighs. _"How do I get it out? Tell me!"_

 _"Hearts can't be taken, hearts must be given."_

Zelena smiles at Melody. _"You will give me your heart then darling."_

Melody smile back defiantly. _"Over my dead body, witch."_

Suddenly Melody feels the power release her. She collapses on the ground. She looks up at Zelena. Zelena smiles at her but it's not a happy smile. It's a scary smile. It tells Melody something awful is going to happen.

 _"How about over his?"_ Zelena asks Melody and she looks at Rumpelstiltskin. She stretches her arm, points at him and he collapses on the floor. She keeps pointing. He gurgles in defiance. Melody rushes to him but gets thrown across the room again. There, Zelena pins her feet down.

 _"Give me your heart or he dies."_ she growls.

With tears now streaming across her face, Melody reaches inside her chest. She looks at her mentor struggling to breathe and rips her heart out. It lessens the torrent of feelings inside her, but this doesn't bring her joy. She holds up her heart and presents it to Zelena.

 _"That's better, little girl."_ she sneers. She walks over and snatches the heart out of her hand. Melody sags on the floor, defeated. Her rescue attempt completely backfired. Zelena breathes on her heart and Melody shudders in disgust.

Zelena smiles. _"Let's test this, shall we?"_ she says. And then Melody feels Zelena's instructions vibrate through her entire body. She has no choice and gets up crying. She walks towards the window and opens it slowly. She looks back at Rumple and jumps down.

Rumpelstiltskin doesn't react as quickly as he used to. He's lost inside his own mind and only sometimes comes back to his senses. This is one of those times. He sees Melody jump out of the window with tears streaming down her face and his already fragile mind struggles to take it in. Zelena makes him get up and look out of the window. When he sees Melody's broken body at the he foot of the tower, he breaks down crying. She locks him up in his cage once more, promising to come back in the morning.


	7. Chapter 7

Zelena keeps the still beating heart behind her back. Her old teacher must really be insane if he doesn't see the broken body at the foot of the tower for what it is, an illusion. She opens the window of her bedroom. A black raven flies inside and perches itself on the edge of the bed. She conjures up a small cage and opens the little door, never letting go of the heart.

 _"Inside, now."_ she sneers at the raven.

The raven hops inside of the cage. Zelena closes the door with a little key and puts the cage on her mantlepiece.

 _"We're going to get along just fine like this."_ she says.

Days turn into weeks that turn into months. All that time Zelena keeps Melody locked up in her little cage. Melody can't escape and she can't fly around. Hell, she can't even comment on the weather in a futile effort to scare away the silence. Zelena has her silenced, she can't even utter a screech.

Melody retreats into herself for the months that follow. She goes back to her memories, when she could run through the forest. If she thinks hard enough, she can almost feel the ground underneath her feet. She can smell the needles from the forest. And then Zelena enters the room and ruins her illusion. Eight months pass like this. Zelena manages to proceed with her plans. Often she'll chuckle to Melody about it. She honestly believes nothing can stop her now.

The night falls like all nights before that. It's nothing special for Melody who's lost in her own head. Zelena sounds different this night. Her footsteps pound the floor and she mumbles under her breath. Melody is oblivious to the signs. She's unresponsive.

Zelena shouts at her prisoner. It's a scream, nothing more. It's just pent up frustration and the feeling of being fooled. She's looking to take out her frustration on somebody and her raven prisoner will do just fine. With a yell she grabs the cage and throws it down on the ground. The raven screeches loudly in surprise. The cage breaks open and sensing freedom, Melody flies through quickly.

 _"Oh no you don't!"_ Zelena screams. Her green face is contorted with anger as she grabs the small pouch hanging from her belt. She squeezes it. Melody drops out of the air with a screech and lies on the ground twitching. Her black wings are laying spread out on the floor. Zelena looks at her in disgust and releases the bag.

 _"Turn back now"_ she orders.

The raven shudders for a moment and a moment later she has grown into her normal human form. She looks furious at Zelena, but as she looks at her hands, tears well up in her eyes. She touches her face in wonder and cries softly.

 _"Listen up."_ Zelena snaps.

Melody looks up at her with hatred in her eyes. _"What, witch?"_ she sneers.

Zelena smiles at Melody. _"Wrong, it's Mistress to you."_ Zelena squeezes the heart once more and looks on with glee as Melody convulses on the floor.

 _"In the dirt at my feet, that's where you belong."_ Zelena says.

Melody catches her breath. Zelena has stopped squeezing her heart, so now she just lies on the ground panting. _"What, Mistress."_ she says clenching her jaw.

Zelena walks away from her victim, smiling. _"That's better."_

 _"You know, turning somebody into a raven is pretty messed up, Mistress."_ Zelena hears from behind her back. She turns away, scowl on her face. Melody looks up defiantly. _"Only insane people do that, Mistress. I'm just concerned for your mental wellbeing."_

She flinches visibly when Zelena takes her heart out of the pouch. _"One more remark from you and I'll turn you in a worm. You think being a raven is bad? I'll have you crawling through the dirt in no time."_

Zelena smiles evilly when she sees Melody's face turn ashen. She tries bravely but fails to hold the tears inside. The Wicked Witch watches as the tears fall down Melody's face and she averts her eyes. She bends down and grabs Melody's chin. She quickly raises her head so she can look in her tear-filled eyes.

 _"Understood, dog?"_ she asks.

 _"Understood Mistress."_ Melody answers.

 _"Now, you will take me to Rumple's old apothecary."_ Zelena orders.

Melody leads the way to the Dark One's old potion room. It's filled to the brim with magical books and strange ingredients. Everything you need to make any potion. She starts rummaging though the ingredients.

 _"Wolfs blood, wolfs blood..."_ she mutters to herself.

Melody steps forward and grabs a vial hiding away behind the others. "Here is the wolfs blood, Mistress."

She looks up at her and ignores her immediately. She collects some things on the table and seems to notice Melody standing in a corner.

 _"You're making a remembering potion?"_ she asks Zelena.

Zelena seems slightly impressed at this point. _"Rumple was right, you do have a knack for potions."_ She takes her heart out of the pouch. _"You're correct, by the way."_

She motions with her other hand and in a poof of green smoke a cage appears. It's smaller than the previous cage. Melody stumbles backwards, hands raised in a pleading gesture. _"Please Mistress. Don't!'_

Smiling cruelly, Zelena steps forward. She raises the heart up to her lips and breathes on it. _"You're going to turn back into a raven and you'll get in your cage."_

With an anguished cry, Melody shrinks down to her raven-form. She flies back into the cage and lets her head hang in defeat. Zelena puts away the cage on a dusty shelf and walks out of the room, carrying the ingredients for the potion.

She needs some other company than her prisoner. She will always try to impress her former teacher, so she'll prepare her potion in front of him. It's always nice to talk to him, even when he's insane like this.

A little while later she reenters the dusty room. She walks to the birdcage.

 _"I've got something for you now."_ Zelena sneers as she grabs the bird by the throat. The bird struggles a little, but there's only so much you can do when you're grabbed by the throat by someone that much bigger than you. Zelena pours the potion down poor Melody's throat and stuffs her back into the cage. She observes the bird as she tries to catch her breath. The raven then turns around to face it's captor.

 _"I want you to remember these lovely months as well, you little bitch."_ she says, sneering. _"I have thought long and hard about it and I have come to the conclusion that making you forget these past few months would be too nice of me."_

Zelena smiles at her prisoner cruelly and picks up the cage.


	8. Chapter 8

The living room is dark. The moonlight shines through the curtains and only Melody moves slightly, stirring on her perch in her sleep. Suddenly a whirlpool of green dust appears in the middle of the room. A furious Zelena steps out of it. Her face isn't green here in Storybrooke, but she can still look very ugly in anger.

She screams at the empty room in rage. Sparks fly from her, her magic running wild for the moment. The raven in the corner ruffles her feathers, trying to seem unimportant. Zelena picks up on the small movement and focusses her attention on her prisoner. She takes the heart out of the handbag she wears nowadays. She motions to the cage and it disappears in a green cloud.

She breathes out on the heart and Melody changes back into a person. Zelena looks down on her and turns away. Then she squeezes the heart as hard as she can without actually crushing it. Melody's screams behind her seem to calm her down a little.

Zelena turns around again, now smiling, to look at Melody lying on the floor and panting. _"It was a trap you see."_ Zelena explains. _"My sister and that bitch Emma set up a trap for me."_

She breathes out deeply. _"I must assume I'm compromised."_ she tells Melody. _"They must've seen me. My ruse to put the blame on Regina has failed me now."_

She stops talking for a moment and just paces around. Melody observes her and dares to ask a question. _"What will you do now, Mistress?"_

Zelena looks back at her with disdain written in every line in her face. _"Do you honestly think I will answer that question?"_ she sneers.

Melody lowers her gaze and stares to the ground apathetically. She seems to have given up entirely.

 _"The only reason you're talking to me now is because I needed someone to hurt."_ Zelena explains. _"As a matter of fact, that's a good thought."_ she says.

Instead of crushing her heart, she now points a finger at Melody and purple lightning shoots out of the tip. Melody soars spinning through the air, magic everywhere around her as she tries to scream away the pain.

When Zelena is calm she stops. She leaves Melody lying crumpled on the floor and heads for the tap. She splashes some water on her face and turns back to Melody. _"Back to your cage."_ she orders.

Melody looks up to her and says _"You magicked away my cage, Mistress."_

Zelena scowls and conjures up a new one. This time it doesn't even have a perch. Melody shrinks back to the shape of a raven and slowly makes her way to her cage.

.-.

Zelena makes Gold keep up appearances in his cellar the following day. Then she heads out to meet Mary Margaret and David for the position of their midwife.

Later that day, Melody stares out of the window. She has a limited view of her surroundings, but can see a little of what happens out there. She can even see the storm cellar that is Rumple's prison. It's just another passive day, nothing changes, nothing gets better.

Then suddenly she spots Emma and Hook come closer. For a moment she can't understand what she's seeing. Then she starts to flap her wings as frantically as she can. The cage is very narrow, but she does her best. She starts screeching but they don't hear her. The two people outside simply approach the door and don't open it. She can see Emma get out her mobile and then they quickly run away again.

Melody can feel the disappointment run through all of her feathers. This must mean that Zelena's time is ending as well. She starts with shrugging off the layers of apathy that she has gathered over these long months. As she's trying to gather her courage and get ready for whatever will happen now, Gold breaks out of his prison. It's not her mentor anymore, it's Neal!

Neal has broken out of the prison!

Melody makes as much noise as she can, but can't seem to attract his attention. He runs away as fast as he can. For a moment he has two faces, for a moment he's both his father and himself. Then Neal asserts control and takes off.

Melody can't do anything but wait. She tries to break her cage, but it's to strong. She tries to rock it back and forth, but it won't budge. Then, the front door opens. It's Regina and Hook. Melody starts to shriek immediately. Her throat is still hoarse from her previous screeching episode, but she gives it everything she's got.

Regina walks in the house, looking clearly startled by the ferocious attitude of a bird.

 _"Well that's surprising."_ she says.

Robin stands next to her and observes the situation as well. _"That bird wants to get out, I think."_ he tells Regina.

 _"It sure looks like that."_ she admits.

Melody is still thrashing in her cage, trying to mind-trick them into opening it.

 _"You think it's wise?"_ asks Robin.

Regina straightens her back and points a finger at the cage. _"I'm not afraid of a bird."_ she says. In a cloud of purple smoke the cage disappears. Even before the smoke whirs into nothing, the raven flies out, nearly hitting Regina in the face with her wing.

She leaves Regina and Robin standing in the middle of the room, looking slightly confused. _"What just happened?"_ asks Regina.

.-.

Melody doesn't take the time to change out of her raven form to explain things to a confused Evil Queen. She simply flies as fast as she can across the tops of the trees. She hears someone scream a little further in the forest. She recognizes the voice. It's her mentor. He's in trouble.

As she flies at top speed, she spots a Flying Monkey approach from the other side. He dives at Gold who's kneeling in the dirt with Emma Swan. Melody screeches in defiance and points both her claws at the monster. The monkey, who was first focussed at Gold, now looks up in confusion.

She slams into him and immediately goes for his eyes. The Monkey is about five times as big as she is but she's much more nimble. She twirls around his head, screeching in his ears and clawing at his eyes. The Monkey suddenly claws at her from the side, leaving some nasty looking scratches. He kicks at her with his hind legs and she goes flying.

Emma and David watch on in horror as the limp form of a raven slams into a tree and tumbles down. The Monkey makes a last desperate dive for Gold, but this time they are ready for it. David stands with his sword at the ready and catches the attack.

David shouts at Emma _"He's getting away. I hold it off. Go!"_ Then he turns back to the creature as Emma runs after Gold.

.-.

Zelena approaches Gold from behind. He's sitting on a tree trunk in the forest, watching Neal. Neal is dead. He gave his life so that he could tell Emma Zelena's real name. Her disguise is now ruined. Yet she seems defiant, like it's merely a little kink in her plan.

After the obligatory sneering about Neal's death, she starts threatening. She has the dagger out and keeps Gold at bay. She smiles in his face. _"Did you happen to see what happened with this sad thing?"_ she asks him, as she takes a weak raven out of her pocket and throws it down on the ground.

Gold immediately runs towards the weak bird. _"She attacked your Flying Monkey."_ he says.

Zelena looks deep in thought. _"That doesn't explain how she escaped."_ she wonders to herself. Then, she looks at Gold again. _"You realize that's just a bird, right?"_

Gold smiles a sad smile at her whilst cradling the bird in his hands. _"There is only one creature in all of the worlds that would attack something five times her size to protect me, Zelena."_ He looks down on his hands and smiles. _"And that's Melody."_

This evokes a soft squeak from the bird, a conformation of some sort.

Zelena seems to gather her strength and says _"Now be a good little Dark One and get back in your cage."_ and she motions the dagger in Gold's face. He struggles for a moment but eventually turns around and heads back to the storm cellar.


	9. Chapter 9

The very next day, Belle and her friends launch a rescue attempt. Belle opens the door to the storm cellar and runs inside. She is appalled when she finds Rumple in a cage and Melody chained to the wall. They both don't look good. Gold looks extremely disheveled and his nice suit is in tatters. Melody has deep gashes on her arms and bruises in her face. She wears a collar which is connected to an iron loop on the wall with a thick chain. She looks at Belle with no hope in her eyes, simply sadness. Belle looks at her old friend for a little while, flabbergasted to see her so defeated. She has never known Melody like this.

She turns back to the man she loves and tries her best to persuade him to leave the cellar. When Gold stands up to take Belle's hand, Melody suddenly groans. Belle looks at her and sees she's shifting. She still wears the collar, but she's turning into an animal.

Gold pushes her away and groans _"Run! Go!"_ with desperation in his voice. Belle finally spots Zelena standing there in a corner, smiling. She turns as fast as she can and runs back up the stairs. Back in daylight she sprints back to her friends. She's nearly in tears and shouts _"It was a trick. She's toying with us."_

Behind her a massive wolf jump out of the cellar, teeth bare and growling furiously. The wold wears a collar. Mr Gold comes up behind the wolf and says _"Zelena sends a message. She will face Regina and no one interferes. Next time you try to stop her I will kill you."_

 _.-._

 _"No one's going anywhere."_ Zelena saunters into the town square, flanked by Mr Gold and Melody. They all wear grim expressions on their faces. Zelena smiles at the crowd as the people quickly back away from her. Mary Margaret and David stand amongst their friends, looking at the spectacle. Emma tries to look tough and stands her ground.

 _"Where is she? Don't tell me. She's a coward. This isn't good. For all of you."_ Zelena sneers. _"If my sister isn't here in five minutes I'm going to let the Dark One of his leash."_

She walks around like she owns the place. Then she stops for a moment and turns back to her prisoners. _"Maybe you folks don't believe me when I say I control him."_ she tells the townsfolk. _"So I guess I have to prove that to you imbeciles."_

She turns around to face Mr Gold and motions with the dagger. His face flinches and he adverts his eyes. He brings up his hand and points at Melody. Magic flies through the air and shackles fly at the girl. They wrap themselves around her and hoist her high up in the air. There she hangs, suspended and struggling mightily.

 _"Now, Rumple dear,"_ Zelena whispers sweet like candy. _",squeeze."_

 _"No please Zelena don't do this!"_ Emma shouts. She runs into the middle, trying to use her magic to get Melody down.

 _"Think you can handle the Dark One, Savior? Think again."_ Zelena says smiling.

Zelena looks at Gold and he throws his magic at Emma. He hurtles her through the air and she collapses on a nearby car.

 _"Anybody else wanna give it a go?"_ Zelena dares the townsfolk.

 _"I do."_ Regina says as she walks onto the scene. _"Didn't anyone tell you? Black is my color."_ she sneers at her sister.

Zelena motions at Gold and he releases his magic. The shackles binding Melody disappear and she falls down, panting heavily. He walks over to help her up.

Zelena walks up to her sister, magic at the ready.


	10. Chapter 10

Zelena has succeeded. Her time altering spell comes to a close in a barn outside of Storybrooke. The heroes rush to stop her, but they are too late. Emma has lost her magic and all looks hopeless.

Regina hangs up in the air, struggling mightily. Zelena holds her up, clearly enjoying the moment. Regina looks at Robin finds the hero in herself. She moves her arms and white light fills her palms.

 _"What are you doing?"_ asks Zelena, the panic clearly in her voice.

Regina smiles at her sister. _"Changing."_ she says. In a monumental effort she releases a beam of white magic at her sister, throwing her on the floor. She approaches her fallen foe with a smile on her face and grabs her green gem. Zelena collapses on the floor, green energies escaping from her. She's powerless.

The heroes walk out, but Gold isn't done yet. He uses his magic to pull Zelena towards him. He has murder in his eyes and seems ready to kill her.

Regina stops him. _"No! Enough! This ends now."_ she says, holding up the dagger. _"Heroes don't kill."_ she says.

On the floor, Zelena tries to throw in a last insult. _"So, you're a hero?"_

Regina smiles at her. _"Today I am."_

Gold scowls at Regina, but he can't do anything without his dagger. He bends down towards Zelena. The heroes all look very worried, but he simply goes for the pouch hanging from her belt.

He turns his back to the fallen witch and opens the pouch. Everybody watches in anticipation as he reveals an enchanted heart. He holds it in his hand and looks around in the barn. Suddenly they hear the cry of a raven. Everyone looks up to the source of the sound and spot a small cage on the wooden beams above their heads. In it is a black raven.

Gold smiles and waves his hand. The cage disappears into a cloud of purple smoke and the raven flies down. Before it lands it changes into Melody again. Mr Gold approaches her slowly and holds her heart in his hand. He takes her by the shoulder and rams his other hand in her chest. She looks utterly revolted for a moment, but when he withdraws his hand she smiles.

Her face lights up and she looks up at him. The sudden barrage of feelings and emotions is too much for her. She breaks down crying in Mr Gold's arms. Everyone looks on in pity when Melody just hides her face in her mentor's jacket and lets all of the pain out.

 _"The dog's feelings are hurt, oh dear."_ quips Zelena.

 _"Shut it Zelena!"_ shouts Emma. _"You've done enough damage for one day."_

Mr Gold is still holding her but it seems like she's not even aware he's there. She freezes and has Zelena in her sights. Gold whispers things in her ear, but she ignores him. She steps out of his embrace. Gold doesn't look comfortable at all, you can tell he's nervous.

 _"Mel?"_ he asks. _"Calm down Mel."_

The color of her eyes starts to change. They turn bright green.

 _"Oh no."_ Mr Gold mumbles. _"Everybody run!"_ he shouts at the heroes standing by the barn door.

 _"You locked me up for months!"_ Melody shouts. Her voice has turned into a raspy roar. She walks to Zelena, not in the least hindered by Mr Gold's efforts to stop her. She just pushes past him like he was a fly and keeps going. She drops down on all fours and stares intently at Zelena. Her skin now turns in a bright purple color and she develops scales. She grows in size rapidly. Her hands in front of her become bigger and the tips of her fingers turn into pointy black nails. Smoke starts to come out of her nostrils and it's that last thing that seems to scare Zelena the most.

 _"Regina."_ she begs. _"Regina, give me my magic back! She's gonna kill me!"_

Regina steps in front of her sister. She bares her forearms and let's the magic flow.

With a roar Melody shifts into a large purple dragon. She doesn't fill the entire barn but it's close. Fire burns between her teeth and her green eyes are fixed on Zelena. Regina stands in between the two and looks up in awe. She has never seen Melody change into a dragon. She didn't even know she could do this.

The dragon's tail sweeps the floor. It hunches like a cat ready to pounce. Then, Mr Gold appears right in front of the mean looking snout and puts his hand up. The dragon growls and smoke comes out of her nostrils.

 _"Down girl."_ Mr Gold says. _"Calm yourself Melody."_

The dragon roars right in his face. The sound is deafening and spit flies everywhere, but Mr Gold doesn't move.

 _"Now, that was unnecessary."_ he scolds her as he wipes away the dragon's spit. _"Calm yourself down immediately."_

The dragon growls, softer this time. Mr Gold puts his hands on his hips and says sternly _"Change back at once."_

The dragon in front of him suddenly jumps forward. The unexpected action bowls Mr Gold to the side and before Regina can act, she's pushed aside into a nearby pile of hay. The dragon lands on top of a terrified Zelena. She screams out in fear at the top of her lungs.

The dragon puts her front paws next to Zelena's face and she roars right in her face. All those large and pointy teeth are right in front of Zelena's nose. The sound is deafening and everyone in the barn holds their head in their hands. Before anybody can do anything to stop her, the dragon jumps up right through the ceiling and flies away.

Wooden splinters and beams rain down on the heroes holding onto each other. David cradles his son in his arms and looks up at the massive hole in the ceiling. _"I'm glad Midas didn't pick that dragon for me to kill back in the Enchanted Forest."_ he quips at Emma.

.-.

Mr Gold sits in his shop for a moment. He waits patiently until she comes back. The doorbell rings. Someone's come into the shop. He walks out of the back office. There she stands, waiting for him. Melody looks tired.

 _"I'm sorry I hit you."_ she says, eyes not quite daring to meet his.

 _"That's ok, dearie."_ he answers. _"Now, are you up for a little trip?"_

She looks up at him. She doesn't quite understand what her mentor wants to say. He smiles at her.

 _"Because I'm getting married."_ he explains.

 **The end**


End file.
